ULI’s Richard Rosan on Obama’s new fuel efficiency requirements

Only one part of the solution

Wendy Natt, May 22, 09.

President Obama’s recent proposal to raise vehicle fuel efficiency requirements and impose higher auto emissions standards are a “key step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but they are only one part of the solution,” said Richard M. Rosan, CEO of the Urban Land Institute Worldwide (ULI) in a recent statement.

For driving-related climate change measures to have a true impact, Rosan proposes a three-part strategy that focuses on improving vehicle efficiency, developing cleaner fuels, and reducing VMT and the need to drive by creating more compact urban growth.

The more walkable, bikeable, and transit-connected our urban development is, the less that people will need to turn to driving as a means of travel, says Rosan:

The greenest car is the one that is not needed for every trip to get from one place to another. Well-planned, compact development that reduces auto dependency is as critical to protecting the environment as cars that use less fuel.

Rosan cites research results reported in the ULI publication Growing Cooler which show that if 60 percent of new development were built in a way that minimizes driving and encourages other modes of transportation, this could reduce carbon gas emissions by up to 85 million metric tons each year by 2030.

“It’s a substantial impact that can be achieved by getting people out of their cars, and by building housing closer to jobs and shopping,” says Rosan.